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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522916">F: Jack's Sunshine Bakery</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dlodle0/pseuds/dlodle0'>dlodle0</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmates A-Z [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:07:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,629</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29522916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dlodle0/pseuds/dlodle0</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Who knew buying a birthday cake could lead you to the love of your life?<br/>- </p><p>f...irst words/thoughts your soulmate says/thinks when seeing you are written on your skin</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Soulmates A-Z [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>F: Jack's Sunshine Bakery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gibbs was glad that Jack’s Sunshine Bakery was completely empty when he walked in. This was not somewhere he fit in. But he could tell right away why it had originally drawn Bishop in. He could imagine her at one of the little tables by the windows, her hand curled around her mug as she chatted with her friends, backdropped by the yellow wall. This was definitely the place to get her birthday cake from. He smiled to himself thinking of how excited she would be but the smile faded when he heard a noise from the back of the bakery. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Following the noise, he made his way back through the kitchen until he found a woman struggling to put a box back on the top shelf. He watched as she got up on her tiptoes and stretched, the box slipping from her fingertips. “Oh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound sprung him into action and he reached out, catching the box with ease. The blonde on the ladder turned, giving him a warm smile. “Holy cow! Nice save!” He handed the box back silently, his mind churning as she said the words that he knew were marked just over his left ribs. She hopped down from the ladder, “You can follow me. What can I get for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One black coffee.” He answered, doing his best not to let her see that he was bothered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I offer two dozen different kinds of baked goods and all he wants is a black coffee.” She teased as she punched in his order. “You sure I can’t offer you a blueberry muffin?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh yeah. Sure.” He pulled out his card but kept his eyes on her, trying to see if his words had sparked anything in her. Was it his imagination or was she smiling differently than she had been a moment before? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack waved away his card. “It’s on the house.” She told him, “A thank you for catching that box.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh thanks.” He took the bag she offered him before she grabbed a cup and poured his coffee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any sugar?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. Just black.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she handed it to him their fingers brushed and he was sure she blushed. Just as he went to speak, the bell above the door rang and a group of young women came in excitedly. He stepped out of the way as the woman in front started telling Jack about how she had just gotten engaged. Knowing the moment had passed, he slipped out of the door and started the walk back to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>XXX</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walked out, Jack couldn’t help but stare after him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>One black coffee. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She reached up subconsciously rubbing the spot just under her collarbone where those three words had rested all of her life. Ever since she was a teen and had started working in coffee shops she had been waiting to hear those three words. She had never imagined it would take her 35 long years to hear them. She had imagined at 18 that she would wait maybe a week or two before someone said one black coffee but the three words had always been followed by “Extra sugar,” or “With cream.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman in front of her frowned, “Hello? Are you listening to me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack shook her head, pulling herself roughly from her thoughts. She looked down at the notebook she always kept on the counter and let out a silent thank you to the bakery gods when she saw that she had in fact been writing as the woman talked. “Yes ma’am. You’d like to book a wedding cake tasting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grabbed the ipad from the counter behind her and started listing off dates to the woman, trying her best to push the blue eyed man from her thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>XXX</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh good you’re back.” Kasie looked up as Gibbs came into the bullpen, “Ellie’s at lunch. Did you order the cake?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The cake. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Gibbs could have headslapped himself. The cake for Ellie’s birthday had been the entire reason for going to the little bakery but the moment he had seen Jack he had forgotten. The look on his face must have given him away because Kasie sighed. “Did you at least bring me something good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leaned over snatching the bag Gibbs was holding and opening it up. “Oh blueberry.” She sighed, biting into it happily and walking away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can order the cake after work. I know where the bakery is, Ellie and I have been a few times.” Nick offered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Gibbs wasn’t about to let the chance to see Jack pass by. “I got it.” He insisted and Nick’s brow furrowed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before anyone could say anything else, Ellie came back from lunch abruptly ending the conversation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>XXX </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just a few minutes past five, Jack looked up at the clock. Business had slowed to a crawl. Since it was just her for the day she decided to lock up and work on a new recipe. She had just turned away from the door when there was a rapid knock. She turned and instantly smiled when she saw the man she had been thinking about all day. She unlocked the door and cracked it so they were able to talk. "Something you need Cowboy?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I gotta place a cake order. For Ellie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened the door all the way at the young woman's name. “Well don’t just stand there. Come on.” She flipped on the lights, quickly grabbing her ipad and notebook. “I’ve been working on this since Nick mentioned her birthday was coming up.” She turned the tablet so he could see the picture she had pulled up, “A chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream, chocolate and peanut butter ganache with chocolate shavings and pretzels on top."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like something she’ll like.” He agreed, “What do I owe ya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tapped on her screen, “Just fill this out and we can handle the rest later.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya sure Jack?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s like family. I’m sure.” Jack smiled again and turned to turn on the coffee pot, “How do you know her anyway? Family?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something like that. We work together.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack knew quite a bit about Ellie’s team from their multiple talks. More than once Ellie had shown up on the bakery’s door step after an all nighter, looking absolutely run down and every time Jack had opened up and soothed whatever was bothering her with a cup of tea and a free baked good. She ran through the list of men in her mind, “You must be Gibbs then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He raised his eyebrow at his name “She’s here a lot.” Jack explained, “When it’s slow I like to catch up with her. She really looks up to you, you know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. I know.” He squinted at the tablet screen and Jack frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here.” She took her glasses that had been resting on the top of her head and offered them to him. “Try these.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grunted but accepted the extended glasses. Once he put them on, he started very slowly typing the information Jack needed into the form. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jethro Gibbs." Jack read from the tablet when he handed it back. "It's nice to finally meet you." She held out her free hand. "I guess you've already figured out who I am."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Jack Sloane." He took her hand in his warm one. "Owner." They shook hands, both trying to ignore the warmth that spread through them at the touch. The sound of a timer going off in the kitchen caught Jack's attention. She headed back but turned just before she passed through the threshold. "You coming?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the next half hour Gibbs learned this about Jack. Her favorite cake was a spiced rum cake she had made for the first time at nineteen. She had lived in California her entire life until deciding last year to move to DC to open Jack's Sunshine Bakery. When he pressed why DC she had simply paused the kneading she had been doing to truly look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know." She admitted softly. "Just felt like the right road to take." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, trying to stifle a yawn but Jack saw it. "You can go grab some coffee." She nodded towards the dining room. "Anything you want."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally he would have turned down the offer but he wanted an excuse to stay longer with her. When he came back, Jack was getting a new bag of flour down. She turned when he came in, "What did you get?" She smiled at the mug, "Wait! Lemme guess. One black coffee." She spoke softly, hoping he would understand the meaning as she got off the ladder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Holy cow. You're good."He answered echoing her words from earlier and the bag she had been trying to open ripped, causing flour to go everywhere. As the flour settled around them, Jack closed the distance between them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is you." She whispered. He reached up, gently wiping the streak of flour from her forehead before answering her with a kiss. Jack melted into the kiss. When they broke for air she started to speak but his phone rang cutting him off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pressed another quick kiss to her lips before answering. "Gibbs." He listened intently and Jack watched the storm clouds roll over his face. She sighed already knowing what was coming. Sure enough as he snapped the phone closed, he stepped back from her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gotta go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jack couldn't help the flash of disappointment that she knew crossed her face but it eased when he took her hand and squeezed it right. "Be back to pick up that cake."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They made their way to the front door and Jack unlocked it so he could get out. She leaned up slightly to kiss cheek. "See ya around Cowboy."</span>
</p>
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